Conservatives are now calling for a boycott of Delta Air Lines after a right-wing commentator claimed that a recent flight was filled with migrants.
In a post to X on Tuesday, Ashley St. Clair, a contributor to the conservative satire website the Babylon Bee, shared footage of what was alleged to show dozens of migrants preparing to board a flight.
“Entire flight full of migrants being shipped from processing centers on @Delta,” she said. “Are taxpayer dollars paying for this????”
The post quickly racked up more than 1.5 million views, leading to an influx of criticism from conservative influencers.
One user argued that the flight’s alleged passengers posed a threat to the country.
“How do people not see this as a threat to our national security ???” they wrote.
The post even received a response from X owner Elon Musk, who simply replied: “Wow.”
In subsequent footage and remarks, Clair said that the flight was headed to New York from Phoenix and that numerous people waiting in line were carrying bags from a processing center for undocumented immigrants. She also said she was seated next to a migrant who still had a processing bag with them.
Clair also alleged that a Delta representative told her “What does it matter, they’re humans too” after she asked whether passengers were migrants.
Clair continued by arguing that Delta should be boycotted in the same manner as Bud Light, which outraged conservatives after the company opted to work with a transgender activist.
“Delta needs to be Bud Light’d for aiding in the destruction of this country by the Biden Admin,” Clair said. “Transporting thousands of illegal migrants with little health screening on red eye flights (less attention) to cities that are overwhelmed. All for those sweet taxpayer dollars.”
It’s unclear where the claim President Joe Biden administration might be paying Delta to ship migrants to New York comes from. Several conservative governors have used state funds to ship migrants to sanctuary cities in the U.S., including New York City.
Others agreed and joined Clair’s call for boycotting the airline.
“I hope more people boycott Delta and any other airline complicit in transporting illegal migrants from border states to be dropped off in cities around America,” Clair said in response to one user. “We have more power as capitalist consumers than we do at the ballot box in many ways.”
Clair’s remarks, which also included complaints that suggested the alleged migrants could be carrying diseases, were also promoted by prominent figures such as Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.).
“It isn’t just Delta. It’s every major airline carrier,” Gaetz wrote. “We are literally funding our invaders. SHUT IT DOWN!”
The Daily Dot reached out to Delta Air Lines to inquire about Clair’s claims and video but did not receive a reply by press time.
Delta as well as numerous other airlines have been known to assist immigrants. In 2018, Delta teamed up with immigrant-assistance groups to offer free flights for immigrant families separated under then-President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
